Commuters slam Transport for NSW’s travel hacks campaign

TRANSPORT for NSW has released a series of cringe-worthy ‘Travel Hacks’ intended to help Sydney commuters beat rush hour traffic — but the move has backfired spectacularly on social media.

Commuters have slammed Transport for NSW’s ‘Travel Hacks’ campaign. We feel like deadset idiots for not having thought of this ourselves.

• Traffic chaos at Frenchs Forest
• New tunnel for peninsula announced

FED-UP Sydney commuters have been mocking Transport for NSW on social media in response to its campaign on how to beat Sydney’s traffic problems.

The department’s travel hacks campaign is being rolled out on Facebook and radio.

We expect the next Transport for NSW ‘life hack” to be “fake a very serious illness and chuck a sickie for a month”. Picture: mysydney.nsw.gov.au

Tips include travelling on an earlier bus on Mondays “for some me-time” with a picture of a woman reading a newspaper in a cafe, getting your nails done after work instead of racing home in rush hour, eating two-for-one tacos on Tuesdays to avoid busy buses or perhaps the least convenient for many commuters — walking to work on Fridays.

The woman portrayed in this ‘hack’ appears be in no rush to get her child to school. They may later give the ‘life hack’ of, “take the kids out of school and free up your morning”. Picture: mysydney.nsw.gov.au

Commuters say the tips bare little resemblance to reality for most people who need to get to and from work in the least amount of time due to family pressures, not to spend extra hours having their nails done.

It comes as many Sydneysiders are spending increasingly longer periods of time in traffic.

On the northern beaches, this includes road works around the new Northern Beaches Hospital, as well as at bottlenecks such as The Spit Bridge and Military Rd.

The real world of public transport in Sydney. Picture: AAP Image/Julian Andrews

One frustrated Facebook user even posted their own travel hack suggesting people should attach wings to their car and fly to work.

In response to one travel tip which suggests finding a bootcamp near work and travelling to the city before 7am when the roads are quieter, Beverley Baxter wrote: “Ha, ha what a joke try Warringah Road — more like 5am”.

Living the utopic life thanks to our friends at Transport for NSW. Picture: mysydney.nsw.gov.au

Another commuter Fiona Baker said: “Just fix the mess and stop putting the responsibility for congestion on those who are travelling ...

“ ... And how about helping to get parents off the road instead of them madly dashing back and forth across the city from 1 sporting facility to another.

“You could try offering more activities on school grounds instead of, oh, I don’t know ... selling off every possible inch of school land for apartments! E.g. Frenchs Forest!!”

If only we all could enjoy some ‘me-time’ in the morning. Transport for NSW should kick back with their own “me time” after these brilliant ideas. Picture: mysydney.nsw.gov.au

Other commuters slammed the hacks as “a crap ad campaign” and “a joke” on the Transport For NSW Facebook page.

Northern Beaches Mayor Michael Regan said the campaign was a “very interesting approach from Transport for NSW, and not entirely stupid ideas”.

“That said, as some of the comments reflect, can we just get better mass transport links to the beaches, especially from Dee Why to Frenchs Forest and onto Chatswood.

“Our Council is committed to making this a reality and exploring further opportunities from Mona Vale to Macquarie.”

Combining public transport with fitness. Alternative: “Walk from Penrith to the city and get your step count up”. Picture: mysydney.nsw.gov.au

A spokesman for Transport for NSW said the aim of the campaign was to change behaviour and real residents from the northern beaches were consulted and some are even featured in the travel hacks.

“The NSW Government is delivering a $41.5 billion public transport and road infrastructure program, including the new turn-up-and-go B-Line services between Mona Vale and the Sydney CBD, with stops at Warriewood, Narrabeen, Collaroy, Dee Why, Brookvale, Manly Vale, Spit Junction and Neutral Bay,” said a spokesman.

Many people grab a coffee in the morning — but next to the water? Or, “I take the last train at night into the city and then sleep in the park until it’s time to walk to work”. Picture: mysydney.nsw.gov.au

“The Travel Choices ‘Travel Hacks’ campaign aims to demonstrate how little changes to people’s daily travel can help save time and reduce the stress of travelling in peak periods.”

The department said that since the Travel Choices campaign launched in 2015, there had been an 11 per cent reduction in the number of inbound vehicles to the Sydney CBD and a 9.4 per cent increase in public transport use for trips into the CBD during the morning peak period.

Quit work and give up all your possessions and just roam the earth. Thanks for the idea, Transport for NSW. Picture: mysydney.nsw.gov.au